A few months ago Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was lying in hospital in Berlin, recovering from being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. This week he was imprisoned after returning to Russia to continue his campaign against Vladimir Putin, despite the clear risks. But who is Alexei Navalny? And does his campaign have any chance of success? We talk to our correspondent Dan McLaughlin. 

Plus, the story of the Chinese writer first praised but then shunned for sharing her insider account of the Wuhan lockdown.

Who is Alexei Navalny?

The Irish Times' unrivalled foreign affairs coverage, now brought to you in weekly podcast form. Hosted by Chris Dooley with regular contributors Patrick Smyth, Denis Staunton, Lara Marlowe, Suzanne Lynch, Derek Scally, Tom Hennigan, Clifford Coonan and Ruadhan Mac Cormaic.

News & Politics

Mark Weiss reports from Jerusalem where there is a possibility of a ceasefire between Hamas militants in Gaza and Israel. What needs to happen to make a ceasefire work, and how do Israelis feel about the conflict that has claimed many more Palestinian than Israeli lives and been met with widespread condemnation as disproportionate?

A ceasefire in the Middle East?

Are the UK's Labour Party facing an existential crisis? Is there a way back to power for the party - for example, by following the advice of its last successful leader Tony Blair? We talk to Denis Staunton.

UK election: can things get better for Labour?

Joe Biden has spent his first 100 days as US president powering through an ambitious agenda and tackling issues on the economy, coronavirus and climate policy. What are the key actions he has taken thus far and where has he fallen short? Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch joins Chris Dooley to take a look back at the start of his presidency.

Looking back at Biden’s first 100 days

In the Indian capital of  New Delhi, one person is reportedly dying of Covid-19 every four minutes. With a population of 1.3 billion, the surge in new infections has pushed the country’s health system to breaking point, with hospitals running out of critical supplies of oxygen and available beds to treat the seriously ill. In this episode Irish Times India correspondent Rahul Bedi describes the scenes in New Delhi and a country struggling to cope with a deadly second wave.

India's covid catastrophe

Recent polls of Welsh voters show growing support for the idea. To find out what's behind the trend and what it would take for it to become a reality, we talk to Denis Staunton.

Who is Alexei Navalny?

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